QUOTES: Caldwell hallmarks -- remarkably cool, 'meticulous,' 'resolute' in a crisis and 'overly passionate' about data

July 11, 2013 01:00 AM

FORD

Philip Caldwell visits the company's stamping plant in Walton Hills, Ohio, in 1982. Caldwell, who died Wednesday at age 93, initiated Ford's employee involvement program and was a frequent visitor to the company's plants while chairman from 1980-85.

A look at quotes by and about Philip Caldwell, the decisive but low-keyed Ford executive who won Chairman and CEO Henry Ford II's attention as a problem solver in a succession of jobs, including chief of the company's truck operations, president of Philco-Ford, and head of automaking operations outside North America. Caldwell eventually became CEO and chairman and died Wednesday at age 93.

"My style has always been to run a teamwork operation in every sense of the word. Teamwork is not an abdication on the part of the leader. But teamwork implies involving people to the full extent of their capabilities."

-- Philip Caldwell, in an 1978 interview with United Press International

"Hard to like as he may have been, he gained respect for his persistent focus on quality and product excellence. While lacking any real operational or 'car guy' interest, or skills, for that matter, and being consistently overly passionate about getting more data to support eminently logical decisions, Phil Caldwell had one powerful sense of purpose that overrode his many quirks and foibles: he was totally, undeviatingly focused on making Ford the quality leader of the world, surpassing the then seemingly unbeatable Toyota."

-- Former General Motors Vice Chairman, Ford exec and auto industry executive Bob Lutz, in his 2013 book, "Icons and Idiots: Straight Talk on Leadership." At Ford, Lutz served as executive vice president of truck operations, chairman of Ford of Europe executive vice president of Ford's international operations. From 1982 to 1986, he was a member of Ford's board of directors.

Caldwell was "remarkably cool and resolute in a crisis. [He] had enormous analytical skills and the determination to examine any problem from every conceivable angle."

-- Paul Ingrassia and Joseph B. White, in the 1994 book, "Comeback: The Fall and Rise of the American Automobile Industry."

"The trouble with you, Phil, is that you went to Harvard, where they taught you not to take any action until you've got all the facts. You've got ninety-five percent of them, but it's going to take you another six months to get that last five percent. And by the time you do, your facts will be out of date because the market has moved on you. That's what life is all about -- timing."

-- Former Ford President Lee Iacocca, to Caldwell, according to Iacocca's 1984 autobiography. Iacocca wrote too many managers, especially well-educated ones, allow themselves to get weighed down in their decision-making.

TIME

Caldwell, middle, shared a Time magazine cover in Sept. 1980 with General Motors Chairman Tom Murphy, left, and Chrysler Chairman Lee Iacocca, on the Detroit 3's woes.

"Lew, I'm not going to beat around the bush. As you know, Ford Motor Company is in desperate financial shape. But we've decided to do one more car. It has to look better than anything GM is doing, and it has to be as high quality as the Japanese. Lew, if this car doesn't sell, it could be the end of Ford Motor Company. We're betting every cent we can borrow. And we want you to be in charge."

-- Ford Motor Co. Chairman Philip Caldwell, in a 1979 meeting with Lew Veraldi, who became lead engineer on the first-generation Taurus according to the 1997 book, "Car," by Mary Walton. The Taurus went on sale in December 1985.

"He drives people crazy about staff work but that's all right. He's very meticulous about staff work, and he wants a hell of a lot of it. Well, so what? Better to get all the answers before you need them, rather than not having the knowledge that you ought to have when you are put on the spot."

-- Longtime Ford CEO and Chairman Henry Ford II, on Caldwell, in a series of interviews Ford conducted in the early and mid 1980s with David Lewis, a historian and professor of business history at the University of Michigan School of Business Administration.

The Taurus, shown as a 1986 model, remains a revered nameplate in Ford Motor Co. history.

"Phil Caldwell has trusted me with the last $3 billion Ford Motor Company has."

-- Lew Veraldi, in a popular statement with friends and colleagues, during development of the Taurus, according to the 1997 book, "Car," by Mary Walton.

"Executives had always told us to reach for a design, and then they'd chicken out. Mr. Caldwell was a very conservative businessman, and the company was losing a lot of money. He had the guts to push us. He told us he wanted something different. This time, he really wanted to make a Ford statement."

-- Jack Telnack, head of design at Ford, on the first Taurus in the 1995 book, "Behind the Wheel at Chrysler: The Iacocca Legacy," by Doron Levin.